


twirl you all around the floor

by weasleyspotter



Series: Ward x Simmons Tumblr Prompts [11]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, There are other characters, but it feels like cheating to tag them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2014-11-15
Packaged: 2018-02-25 11:14:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2619746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weasleyspotter/pseuds/weasleyspotter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. "It all began with a prank, designed by Lance Hunter and myself, and dance class. And friends, it's quite a tale. But we'll get to that soon enough."</p>
            </blockquote>





	twirl you all around the floor

**Author's Note:**

> lindewen sent me the prompt about Grant and Jemma being partners in a dance class AU, and I don't know if you guys know this about me, but I'm actually a dancer, so I ended up word vomiting, like I usually do.

There are a lot of things that Grant Ward isn't proud of.

The fact that Skye is his sister is one of them. There was that time that Lance and Mack pulled the fire alarm and he ran out in a towel, still dripping wet from the shower, because Trip convinced him that there was an actual fire and (with some pretty compelling screaming) that it was in their apartment. There was also the time that Bobbi had asked if a dress looked good on her, and he hesitated (that one, he regrets very much).

But regret is far and few for Grant Ward.

This, however, is one of those few things.

It had been a joke at first. After trying to humiliate him at his cousin's wedding, by forcing him to dance with Melinda May (Fitz's very surprising date), and then realizing that lo and behold, the robot could actually dance surprisingly well, Lance and Skye had tried to take the prank further by signing him up to teach dance class at the local studio.

Despite being a well trained Shield specialist, he is also ashamed to admit, he hadn't realized this. Not until the night of his first 'class' when his 'boss' calls him hysterically asking where he is.

(In retrospect, he thinks it's a good thing that he had been home on his couch with his hand in a bag of popchips, instead of a scaling a building in Budapest or sprinting through a firefight in Peru.

Also, he should have realized it when Lance and Skye insisted on spending the evening with him. That is never a good thing.)

That was his first opportunity to back out, he could have hung up the phone claiming it was a mistake and ignored all subsequent phone calls.

Instead, he let the guilt lift him off the couch and grabbed his car keys and headed towards the studio where he taught his first class, with Skye and Lance cackling in the background.

And then he taught some more.

It isn't like he needs the money. Being a specialist pays well enough, and he shares an apartment with three other people when he can well enough own his own place. He's more than a healthy pile of savings, and the money that he earns from teaching classes is nothing more than padding. It's practically insignificant.

But he still does it, and he doesn't quite know why.

His boss is pretty lenient, all things considered. He works on more of a substitute basis. Shield still comes first, after all. And he gets right of refusal for any class that comes his way that he doesn't fancy teaching.

So when the call comes on Friday night to come and teach a ballroom dancing class, just after he's gotten home from a mission, slightly bruised and sleep deprived, he's about readying to refuse it.

Still, Grant's always been in the habit of pushing himself, and he manages to make it out the door before he can even agree.

Ballroom dancing classes are usually the most boring, but he thinks that a class usually ensures that he'll have a quiet evening, which his apartment can never ensure (especially since Lance and Skye are back together again). The class is usually filled with older couples trying to spice things up in the mildest way possible, or engaged couples filled with tension for the big day. Nearly everyone comes paired up, so usually he has to do is demonstrate the basic steps and then sit back and watch for mistakes.

But when he walks into class that day, he notices her almost immediately.

She's standing off to the back, watching everyone with apprehension. No one approaches her, or stands near her, and he knows almost immediately that she came alone. She's pretty, in a subtle way. Her brown curls are tied up in a ponytail, and she's deliberating placing herself out of sight, hiding behind other couples. 

She doesn't want him to call her out, and he finds that fascinating, but he plays along.

"Alright guys," he claps his hands to get the groups' attention. "Now you are all here tonight to learn the Waltz. The Waltz is a smooth dance, so it travels around the room in a counter clockwise direction. However for the purposes of tonight, try to keep your dancing in your allotted spaces. Your instructor next week will discuss more about movement." 

"You're not our instructor," a disappointed woman in the front asks. The man standing next to her shoots her a look.

"Just for tonight," he informs her, sparing her only a momentary glance. "Now we're going to start with the basic box step."

He plucks an older woman from the crowd, who blushes a little at being chosen, and carefully waltzes her in a small circle to demonstrate the step.

"Everyone got it?" He waits for everyone to give a short nod, even though there are varying faces of confusion throughout the crowd. He'll deal with that later. "Alright then, pair up, and start dancing."

He's about to turn around and start the music when a soft voice pipes up. "Uh, sir, I don't have a partner."

He turns around to come face to face with the brunette who was hiding in the back. He had almost forgotten. The key word being almost. Somehow she's even prettier up close. And he's almost distracted by the way her brown eyes seem to sparkle. Again, the key word is almost. She's glancing up at him nervously, biting down on her bottom lip, as she shifts from foot to foot, alternating her weight between feet.

"Oh," he pretends as if he's just noticed. He does another quick scan of the room to assure himself that everyone else is paired up. "Well then I'll be your partner for today evening."

She looks up at him startled. "I was actually just thinking I could sit over there and observe." She says pointing to the side of the floor. "All I need to do is learn the technique, really."

He knows that he should agree with her, then he could sit down and do nothing. But somehow he finds himself disagreeing. And he swears it's not just because he wants to hold the petite brunette a little closer. "If you want to learn how to dance, you have to dance. Come on."

He taps on the music and wraps his arm around her back and raises her hand into position. It takes her a few moments, but slowly she places her arm onto his shoulder.

"I apologize in advance if I step on your toes."

He very nearly resists the urge to smile at her standoffish manner. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

It takes her a few turns to pick up on the pattern, but she picks up quicker than anyone in the class. And within a few moments, he's resisting the urge to turn her around the room. But he knows that it wouldn't be any good to show off, he can already see a few couples staring at them, and he makes a note to switch around the partners in a bit.

"You're good," he comments, trying her draw her eyes off her feet.

"I didn't think I would be," she admits, glancing up at him. "I only agreed to go to this class because my sister Charlotte is getting married and she wants everything to be perfect. And apparently my dancing is one of them."

She sounds so disgruntled. He shouldn't find it adorable. He does.

"Apparently being good at science means you're probably not a good dancer," she continues, and then shrugs. "It's nice to know I'm not completely useless."

"You're doing fine-," he trails off, looking at her searchingly.

"Jemma," she prompts. "Jemma Simmons."

"Grant," he reciprocates with a smile. "Grant Ward."

She smiles at him brightly, and he swears to god it lights up her entire face. "Well Grant. It's been a pleasure dancing with you."

*

He switches partners with an elderly couple for the next step, a simple twirl.

He loses track of her after that. She's passed around the room, giggling as a few of the men dared to try out their moves with her, and smiling when someone complimented her. He finds his eyes being drawn to her across the floor. No matter where she is, he could spot her, like she is the sun and he is gravitating around her, constantly being pulled towards her.

When he wraps up class, he tries not to focus his attention on her too much, but it backfires, because when he's being ambushed by couples thanking him for helping them out, she sneaks out the door.

*

When he gets home that evening, he's got a stupid smile on his face that everyone teases him about on sight.

And when it doesn't fade, Skye begins to question whether his circuits fizzed out, and really guys, he could be a clone or something, we owe it to Ward to check it out.

But nothing beats the teasing when he actually admits that it's because of a girl, and when he admits the tiny little fact that her smile lights up her entire face. That lasts at least a week, and even Nat and Clint get in on it, and he knows he's completely screwed.

This is one thing he's never going to live down.

*

Imagine his surprise when a helpful Skye discovers that there's a Doctor Jemma Simmons who works at Shield and has an older sister named Charlotte who is getting married.

He debates for weeks on how to approach her. He considers Shield a lot, because he knows that it'll make things a whole lot easier if he approaches her at work. But he also considers the fact that she might not appreciate that he had his sister look her up.

He finally screws it all to hell and waits for her outside of class one night.

Her eyes widen when she sees him, but she doesn't walk away like he expects her to. "I didn't think," she begins bemusedly, and then stops suddenly. "I thought you didn't teach our class regularly."

"I don't," he stutters. And then inhales deeply, gathering up all his courage. "I actually wanted to see how you were doing. You know," he gestures at the studio awkwardly, "in class and all."

_Idiot_ , he thinks. He's such an idiot.

She looks confused but she responds. "Okay, the new teacher isn't quite as good as you, and I can't quite seem to get anything other than a basic step. I hope the best man doesn't try anything fancy, or I might trip over my own feet."

"I could help," he volunteers almost immediately. "Maybe show you a few steps." He offers, feeling his stomach fall to his feet.

Okay, worst case scenario, she turns him down and he could still walk away with his dignity. He doesn't actually teach her class, and he's spent a number of years at Shield without ever running across a Doctor Jemma Simmons, he's sure he can continue the rest of his life without doing so. Especially if he is actively avoiding her.

She eyes him carefully, then swallows. "That would be great. But erm," she glances away from him. "Maybe first we could get some coffee?"

His face breaks out into a large smile. "I would like that very much."

She loops her arm through his, and tugs him down the street.

*

At their wedding, when Skye is asked to get up and give her toast, she whips out a series of index cards and smiles at Grant so wickedly, he swears he knows what's going to be said even before she starts speaking.

"It all began with a prank, designed by Lance Hunter and myself, and dance class. And friends, it's quite a tale. But we'll get to that soon enough. I'd just like to start off by stressing, that this couple," she gestures to Grant and Jemma, "exists because of me."

Lance soundly clears his throat.

"And Lance," she amends. Then she pauses for dramatic effect, before she states, "So I think they owe us a thank you."

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and kudos if you enjoyed!


End file.
